Cooking with Lee Lee

Tag Archives: noms noms

Welcome to ‘Part 2’ of my food adventures to celebrate a very special week in June that is my birthday. This year, the fiesta seems to be never-ending. It’s like the Queen has come to stay for the week and we are seated at a self replenishing banquet table, which we are not allowed to leave from (not that anybody is complaining).

All the photos that I am posting up, are only the meals I could remember to take photos of. Majority of the time, I’m so excited to see the food that I want to see it disappear (into my mouth) as soon as it hits the table. So for this, I’m sorry that I’m not able to share with you the whole banquet.

My ‘food baby’ continues to grow in Rutherglen. An adorable, neat country town that consists of one strip of bistros, cafes, op shops and handy-marts, all surrounded by acres of green grass and tall mountains sitting on the horizon.

We had just come from Beechworth after a lovely breakfast and thought we’d check out the neighboring towns. As we walked down Main Street, food was not the first thing on our minds but I can assure you that it’s never far off. I stopped outside a cafe window and proceeded to stare at a woman eating lunch with her friend (or so my friends thought). In fact, what I was staring at was the plate in front of her, which contained what looked like the most crunchy calamari rings I’ve seen in a while. Upon further inspection, I discover that they’re coated in panko crumbs and not your average crumbs from day old bread.

As I was uploading the photo of the calamari, the upload percentage bar read “crunching”… haha ;D.

We were definitely not hungry but we definitely needed proof that the calamari was as crunchy as they looked. So into the cafe we went and ordered ourselves a plate of Panko-crumbed Calamari with Beer Battered Fries and Salad. Turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made on a whim, not to mention inexpensive…ahem…hmmm… that’s a little awkward.

Fried calamari for me is a hit and miss thing. Some restaurants do it really well and some restaurants leave you unsatisfied not to mention suffering from food envy as you watch your friends eat yummy food, while you’re stuck with soggy, chewy calamari that’s not as salt and peppered as it should be.

This calamari had me wishing I was hungry enough for another plate, the meat was still juicy and tender and the panko crumbs did it’s job like a pro. Everything on that plate was perfectly seasoned and although the salad resided on the same space, nothing was soggy!! I vow never to eat fried calamari rings ever again unless they’re panko-crumbed (cue dramatic quote music). NOM NOM NOM!! Wish I had another plate of it in front of me now.

Back at the Bridge Road Brewery in Beechworth, we enjoyed a sunny (but fresh) afternoon sipping on pale ale accompanied with Pizza Funghi, Pizza Apple and Blue Cheese and Pizza Salami (Yes, we are eating our pizza with knives and forks like weirdos).

My favorite was the Pizza Salami with taleggio, EV olives, Hungarian salami and red onions, it was like a flavor explosion in my mouth. Might be slightly biased because I have a soft spot for Hungarian salami and taleggio cheese.

Pizza Funghi and Pizza Apple and Blue Cheese was our half/half pizza topped with roquette and almond salad. The Pizza Apple and Blue Cheese was surprisingly good and the blue cheese wasn’t as strong as I thought it would be. As for the Pizza Funghi, you’ll love it if you love mushrooms because that’s pretty much all there was to it.

The first thing I saw on the menu at Bridge Road Brewery was the American style BBQ pork ribs braised in Chevalier Biere de Garde, herbs and spices, served with house made dipping sauce. One word, YUM!

Fifteen dollars will buy you a wooden board heaped with BBQ Pork Ribs that are falling off the bones and a dipping sauce, so rich, tangy and smooth it could give you a headache… and they call this a snack!! NOM NOM NOM

This here concludes my country Victoria stint. I look about four months preggas right about now but I loved every bite of it. Chiltern, Beechworth and Rutherglen, you have been good to me. I look forward to visiting again one day. If anyone is visiting Beechworth, visit their bakery! It’s how all bakeries should be… and such lovely savoury breads.

Special mention to my beautiful boyfriend Aleks, who is the mastermind behind the whole trip. Thank you for all your driving and wonderful restaurant suggestions… and I commend you for your patience, waiting for me to take the perfect photo before digging into the food.

That’s all from me for now but I shall be bringing you ‘Part 3’ very soon, when I’m back in Melbourne but still eating and maybe a little cooking as well. Look out for my new chicken pie recipe plus more restaurant reports as well.